Apparatus for pulverized coal



C. W. KINTER.

FEEDING APPARATUS FOR PULVERIZED COAL.

Patented Oct. 21,1919.

APPLICATION FILED APR.4, 1919.

r IBEVENTOI? CHARLES WILLIS KINTER, 0F WELLSIBURG, WEST VIRGINIA.

FEEDING- APIFARATUS FOR PULVERIZED COAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 21, 1919.

Application filed April 4, 1919. Serial No. 287,382.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. KINTER,

a citizen of the United States of America.

and resident of Wellsburg, county of Brooke, and State of West Virginia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeding Apparatusfor Pulverized Goal, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates broadly to feed regulators, and more specificallyto a regulatable delivery apparatus or feeder forconveyers of pulverizedmaterials. 7

The primary object of the invention is to provide a delivery apparatuswhereby powdered,'or pulverized, coal may be continuously supplied at aconstant regulatable rate, or in regulatable uniform quantities, forintroduction into a furnace.

A further object is to provide a pulverized coal feeding apparatus bywhich the coal is supplied mechanically and positively from a storagebin, or without the employment of variable air pressure.

A still further object is to provide a device of the character mentionedby means of which the rate of supply of the powdered material may bepositively and accurately varied as occasion may require.

With these and other important objects in view, all of which willhereinafter be madeapparent, the invention resides in the features ofconstruction arrangement of parts and combinations of elements whichwill hereinafter be exemplified, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of the invention with thehopper or casing thereof in partial horizontal section;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 33, Fig. 1; FFig. 4 is a detailsection on line 4%,

Fig. 5 is a detail section on line 5-5, Fig. 1' and i Fig. 6 is a crosssection of the.air control valve. 1

Referring to said drawings, in which like designatingcharactersdistinguish like parts throughout the several views 1 and 2indicate, respectively, and lower sections of a hopper, like casing,

the upper or hopperwhich is suitably attached at its than the upper endto astorage bin or container 3 for pulverized coal, the same occupyingsuch position with respect to a delivery opening 1 in said bin that coalgravitates thereto through said opening. Said sections 1 and 2 havecorresponding end flanges providing for rigid attachment thereof, andprovided in said flanged ends are hearings in which is journaled a shaft5 having fixed thereon a feed drum 6. Said drum has a longitudinallyfluted periphery with the flutes 6 disposed in spaced relation and ofless length drum so as to provide adjacent to each of the ends of thelatter an annular surface 6 of true cylindrical form. Disposed'in thehorizontal axial plane of the drum 6 at each of the opposite sides ofthe latter is a longitudinally extending bar 7 which has its inner edgeseated against the periphery of the drum, or against the annularsurfaces 6 of said drum. Said bars are designed to completely fill thelateral spaces between the casing and the ribs by which the flutes 6 ofthe drum are separated. Said bars are adjustably disposed in channels 8provided therefor between flanges carried by the adjacent lateral edgesof the hopper sections 1 and 2, set screws 9 direct ed throughface-plates 10 being disposed against the outer edges of said bars foradjusting the latter with respect to the drum to compensate'for wear.Said face plates 10 are suitably mounted upon the adjacent lateralflanges of the hopper sections in closing relation to the channels 8, asshown.

Carried by an end of the drum shaft 5 is an outwardly facingpower-transmission disk 11. A relatively smaller disk 12 located atright angles to said diskll is disposed with a point on its periphery inen gagement with the outer face of the lastmentioned disk, so that thelatter will be frictionally driven through rotation of said disk. Saiddisk 12 is splined upon and longitudinally shiftable along a drive-shaft13 which is journaled in brackets 14 and, 15 carried bythe hopper orcasing. Said shaft 13 may be driven in any suitable manner, but asherein shown carries a pulley or belt wheel 16 adapted to be connectedby belt to a line shaft. 7

The speed of the drive-shaft 13 is constant, but the speed of rotationof the drum may be varied to any extent desired by shifting the disk 12along said shaft 13, it being obvious that the speed communicatedthereby to the disk 11 will be increased as the disk 12 approaches itscenter, and vice versa. For effecting shifting movement of said disk 12I employ a shifter yoke 17 of which the forked end is seated inembracing or straddling relation to the neck portion 18 of a hub 18carried by said disk. The opposite end of said yoke is mounted upon andmovable along the threaded portion of a worm screw 19 which is journaledin extensions 11 and 15 of the brackets 14: and 15 and which carriesupon one end a crank or hand wheel 20 whereby it may be rotated.

The disk 11, which is splined upon and longitudinally movable to alimited extent along the drum shaft 5, has an inwardly extending boss orhub 21. Disposed in embracing relation to said hub is a non-rotatablecollar 22, ball-bearings 23 being preferably employed between said huband said collar for reducing to a minimum friction which results fromrotation of the hub with respect to said collar. Said collar carriesoppositely disposed trunnions 2% which have fitted thereon yoke members25 forming parts of a transverse horizontally disposed lever 25which'has one end pivotally mounted at a suitable point on the bracket14 and has its opposite end seated against the end of a yieldable thrustmember whereby it is normally maintained in a position in which the faceof the disk 11 is presented in fricp tional engagement with the disk 12.

The said thrust member comprises a pin 26 which is slidably mountedwithin asleeve or bushing 27 which is adjustably mounted in a laterallydisposed arm or bracket 28 carried by the hopper casing at a suitablepoint. Said pin has on its outer end a head 29 between which and theadjacent end of the bushing 27 is disposed a compression spring 30whereby tension is exerted for holding said pin thrust outward with itshead 29 in seating relation to the inner face of the adjacent end'of thelever 25 for normally maintaining said lever and thetherewith-associated vdisk 11 in an outwardly thrust position whereinthe latter rests against the periphery of the disk 12.

A small rod or shaft 31 is disposed vertically in suitable bearings, as32, carried by the hopper casing and has fixed on one end thereof acam'33 which is adapted to be carried by rotation of said shaft 31 intoengagement with the lever 25 for moving the latter inward against thetension of the spring '30, as-when it is desired to disengage the disk11 from the constantly rotated disk 12 for stopping the feed drum. Onthe end of the shaft 31 opposite the cam 33 is a lever 41 wherebyrotation of said shaft is effected by hand.

The lower end of the casing section 2 has a discharge opening 3a throughwhich the pulverized material is conducted to a small chamber 35 fromwhich said material is conducted by air pressure through a pipe or pipes36 leading to the burnerswhich discharge into the furnace. Said chamber35 is formed within a casing 37 having the conductor pipe 36 leadinghorizontally from one end thereof. A pipe 38 leading from an airpressure line, or other suitable source of air supply, opens into saidcasing 37 at an angle to the latter, and a suitable air control valve,as 39, is'interposed between the point at which said pipe enters saidcasing and the chamber 35, said valve being adapted for adjustment toregulate the volume of the blast of air employed for carrying thematerial admitted to said chamber 35.

A suitable vent, as 40, is preferably provided at a suitable point inthe casing section 2, the same being designed to admit air above thematerial in said section.

In practice, the powdered material is fed through the hopper at auniform rate by r0- tation of the drum, which rate may be varied to anyextent desired by shifting the transmission disk 12 with respect to thedisk 11 for increasing or decreasing the speed of said drum. The forceof the blast employed for introducing the material in the furnace may beaccurately regulated by adjustment of the control valve 39.

What is claimed is 1. A feeder for pulverized coal, comprising, incombination with a hopper-inclosed feed drum and adjustable means atopposite sides of said drum for controlling the rate of feed, of a shaftupon which said drum is carried, a variable speed gearing associatedwith said shaft, said gearing including a pair of friction disks ofwhich one is posltively driven and the other is frictionally driventhrough contact of its space with the periphery of said positivelydriven disk, said positively driven disk being shiftable across the faceof the frictionally driven disk for varying the rotative speed of thelatter, and the frictionally driven disk being carried by and movable onthe drum shaft to the extent that it may be disengaged from thepositively driven disk, yieldable means normally maintaining thefrictionally driven disk in frictional engagement with said positivelydriven disk, and manually movable means whereby said frictionally drivendisk may be shifted against the tension of its holding means.

2. A feeder for pulverized coal, comprising, in combination with ahopper-inclosed feed drum, of a shaft upon which said drum is mounted, adrive shaft located in transversely disposed relation to said drumshaft, a disk carried by each of said shafts, said disks'being disposedat right angles to each other with the periphery of the drive-shaft disknormally located in frictional driving relation to the drum-shaft diskand shiftable upon its shaft for varying the rotative speed of thelatter, the drum-shaft disk being associated with a lever whereby it maybe shifted along its shaft into and out of frictionalengagement withsaid drive-shaft disk, yieldable means acting against said lever fornormally holding the latter in a position maintaining frictional drivingengagement between said disks, and means whereby said lever may be movedagainst the tension of said yieldable means for disengaging said disks.

3. A feederfor pulverized coal, comprising, in combination with ahopper-inclosed feed drum, a shaft upon which said drum is carried,a'variable speed gearing associated with said shaft, said gearingincluding a pair of friction disks disposed at right angles to eachother, one of said disks being shiftable across the face of the otherdisk for changing the rotative speed of the latter, a shaft 'upon'whichsaid shiftable disk is slidably mounted, a worm screw journaled parallelto the last mentioned shaft, a shifter yoke adjustable upon said screwby rotation of the latter and operatively associated with said shiftabledisk, means whereby the frictionally driven disk is yieldingly held inengagement with the shiftable disk, and means whereby the frictionallydriven disk may be shifted against the tension of said holding means fordisengaging the disks.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

CHARLES WILLIS KINTERI Witnesses:

CLAUDE STRATFORD, CH S. A. CLARK.

